That's How I See You
by Ellenarnia
Summary: "You've made me far too beautiful."


**Hi. Just a little one shot. I have wanted to write this for ages but my computer got ill, and when the computer got better I got ill, so it hasn't been great. I got the inspiration from a Doctor Who episode I watched, a little while ago. Disclaimer: I don't own the Crimson Field or any of the characters, however much I want to.**

That's How I See You.

"What?!"

Grace watched Roland with a look of utter confusion. She had only come in to collect notes on some of the patients when he had come out with the most bizarre request.

"Please Grace, it won't take long." He pleaded

"I'm not worried about how long it will take. I want to know why you want to do it at all."

"Well, it helps me relax and at the end of it you will have a lovely portrait of yourself." Roland tried to convince her "You could keep it in your office."

"Roland, firstly I wouldn't have anywhere to put it and secondly I don't really want a picture of myself hanging on the back wall of my office."

"Then if you don't want it, I'll keep it in here."

Grace rolled her eyes at this. Having a portrait of her hanging in his office certainly wasn't going to help stop the flow of rumours.

Roland had picked up on the role of her eyes "If you don't want it in the office then I'll keep it in my bedroom and away from prying eyes." _"Yes"_ Roland thought, that would be a better plan. That way he would be able to look at his beloved Grace before he went to sleep. If he couldn't have her in reality at least he could have her in the form of a portrait.

"Why do you want to draw me anyway?" she questioned "Why not ask one of the other nurses, I am very busy you know. Or why not go down to the beach and draw the landscape there."

"Grace, none of the other nurses would agree and if I went down to the beach people would wonder, what in the world I was doing." Roland sighed in frustration

"So I'm you're alternative option?"

"No," he quickly corrected her "you're not an option, you're my friend and I want to draw a beautiful portrait of you. What's wrong with that?"

He tried his best puppy dog eyes and begging face. She always gave in to him when he did this.

"Oh, alright. If it makes you happy." she sighed in defeat

"Thank you Grace, you have no idea how happy it makes me."

He looked absolutely thrilled, reminding Grace very much of a small child at Christmas.

"Just sit by the window while I set up." He instructed, before disappearing to his room.

She took one of the chairs from next to his desk and brought it sit next to the window.

Once he had returned with the canvas and pencils, he looked at her and sighed.

"Grace, I meant for you to sit in one of the armchairs."

"I'm comfortable here." She protested

"Armchair!"

She scowled at him before getting up and taking the chair back. On her return she flopped into the armchair he had pointed at.

"Better?" she asked

"It could be better." He started "Would you take off your cape Grace, please."

The look on her face was one of extreme annoyance but she did as was asked.

"Anything else?"

"The headdress and hair?" He asked tentatively

"No, absolutely not!"

"Pretty please." He begged

"No, I'm not taking the headdress off and my hair certainly isn't coming down, and that is that."

"Why not?"

"My hair is horrible, Roland. You won't like it."

"Let me be the judge of that." He argued back

She considered for a moment. She couldn't think of a counter argument and by the look on his face, he wouldn't draw her without her taking the headdress off and her hair being down.

"Fine, but if I lose so much as one of these pins, you will be the one looking for them." She warned him

"Yes ma'am." Roland said in mock seriousness but he couldn't keep the smile from his face.

He watched her as she got up and went to the desk and started to take the pins out. She took each pin out one by one, laying them on the desk, side by side. When she removed her headdress, Roland could see her hair properly. He had never seen much of her hair, only the small part that peeped through the top of her headdress. When she started to take her hair down, he sat mesmerised, as with each pin that she took out, another tendril of hair fell down her back. By the time she was done he could see that her hair sat halfway down her back and was a pretty darker blonde colour.

She saw him staring.

"I told you it looked horrible." She said, going to pick up the pins again but his hand shot out to stop her wrist

"Grace, your hair looks lovely." _"Just like every part of you"_ he added mentally "Now, come and sit down and I'll start this drawing."

He led her back to the armchair and sat her down. Stepping back, he looked at her. " _She really is beautiful"_ he thought. He then noticed that her hair was tucked behind her back. He looked at her sternly, knowing she was responsible.

"Stop trying to hide your hair. It really is lovely Grace."

He went up to her and moved it to sit over her shoulders. As he moved it he caught the smell of lavender in the air and he couldn't help smiling.

"Now, can I begin?" he asked

"Go on then. Seeing as I can't talk you out of this." she smiled at him

He gave her a smile in return and started. Grace kept her eyes focused on a spot above Roland's head. She tried to avoid looking at him but she couldn't keep her eyes from flitting down now and again, while he was working. She saw that when he would change pencils he would hold one in his mouth. When he concentrated a little too hard, the tip of his tongue would stick out from his mouth. _"Oh, how I love him"_ she thought. However hard she tried, she couldn't keep from laughing quietly at him. On hearing her Roland looked up at her suspiciously.

"No laughing, Matron Carter." he said sternly but not unkindly

"Sorry Colonel Brett." She answered in the same tone

He held her gaze for a few seconds more, before going back to his work. The portrait was coming along well, but he didn't think that he could capture all of her beauty on a piece of canvas. The sun was beginning to set, and the orange light of it setting made her even more beautiful. He had also never noticed that her eyes were such a brilliant green. They reminded him of rich summer grass. _"Oh, how I love her."_ he thought. He knew that she wasn't just beautiful on the outside. Inside she had a unique intelligence that so few people appreciated. Purbright, certainly didn't like her. He treated her like she was just another woman, whose opinions didn't matter. Her opinions mattered though. Purbright saw her as his subordinate but to him she was his equal in every way.

"I think…. it's just about finished." He announced. He picked up the canvas and brought it over to her "What do you think?"

Grace was amazed. Roland had a real talent for this, even if he had exaggerated her beauty. She had no idea what to say.

"Well…what do you think Grace?" her silence starting to unnerve him

"You certainly have a hidden talent, Roland." She said when she found her voice

"That's how I like to keep it. Hidden. If Purbright found out about this, he would have another reason to mock me." He complained

"I'm not going to mock you." She told him kindly

He smiled at her and sat on the armrest of the chair, propping up the portrait against his chair.

"So, do you like it?"

"Roland, I love it, but you've made me far too beautiful." She told him

"Well that's how I see you." He said sincerely

She looked up at him, he was serious. For the second time today she didn't know what to say. He looked down at her and raised a hand to caress her face. Her cheek fit perfectly into his palm. She leaned into his caress and closed her eyes. When she opened them again he was wearing a look she had only seen on the face of one other man. Before she could say anything he leaned down and gently brushed his lips with hers. It was light and hardly a touch but to them it meant everything. It was over far too quickly for Grace's liking. Roland on the other hand looked horrified at what he had done. He jumped up from the chair, as if he had been burned.

"Oh, god. Grace I… I'm s… so sorry. I should never…never have…." He trailed off. Not wanting to look at her after what he had done, he turned to the wall.

Grace jumped up from the chair and went over to him. She took hold of his shoulders and turned him to face her instead of the wall.

"Please…forgive me…I won't ever, ever…I never meant..." he started to try and explain again

"Roland, shhh, shhh, now." She stopped him "Come on, of course I forgive you. I would forgive you anything."

"Thank you. Oh, thank you. I don't deserve you. I really don't." he thanked her "Grace, do you think that we could forget about this? You friendship means everything to me and I don't want to lose it."

"Oh, Roland. You sweet man. I don't think you truly want to forget about it. Do you?" she asked

He shook his head then bowed it.

"Then you don't have too, because I don't want to forget about it either." She told him

He looked up quickly, to find her smiling at him. He returned her smile and put his arms around her, holding her to his chest. She lifted her head from his chest.

"I love you." She whispered into his ear.

"Oh, my darling. I love you too." He whispered back before taking her face in his hands and bringing her lips to his. Her arms wound their way around his neck, hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck and his hands slipped to her hair. They soon deepened the kiss, tongues sliding into the others mouth. Small moans came from both of them, as hands started to wander. They soon had to break the kiss for air but they still clung close.

"You're so beautiful, you know my Grace."

"That's because you see me that way."

 **It wasn't really little was it. Thanks for Reading and please Review!**


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